Deck 11: Oldowan Toolmakers and the Origin of Human Life History

Question 1

The first use of tools

A) was by australopithecine ancestors of humans.
B) probably precedes the divergence of humans and apes.
C) occurred after the evolution of bipedalism.
D) involved distinctly human abilities.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The earliest chipped stone tools in East Africa date to approximately ________ mya.

A) 3.7
B) 2.5
C) 4.2
D) 1.3

Answer 2

B

Question 3

If marks found on fossil animal bones from Dikika were determined conclusively to have been made by stone tools,

A) we would conclude that P. boisei was the first toolmaker.
B) chipped stone tools were made and used much earlier than previously thought, possibly by A. afarensis.
C) A. garhi was hunting animals a million years earlier than previously thought.
D) H. habilis was the first toolmaker.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Chimpanzees primarily include ________ foods in their diet.

A) extracted
B) hunted
C) collected
D) provisioned

Question 5

________ foods come from things that do not move but are protected in some way.

A) Hunted
B) Extracted
C) Collected
D) Provisioned

Question 6

The term used for the manufacture of chipped stone tools, such as most of the Mode 1 Oldowan tools, is

A) coring.
B) flaking.
C) knapping.
D) cracking.

Question 7

________ include collected, extracted, and hunted foods in their diet.

A) Orangutans
B) Gorillas
C) Chimpanzees
D) Gibbons

Question 8

Scientists have established that Oldowan flakes were

A) useful for a wide range of functions, including butchering animals.
B) primarily a waste product of making Oldowan tools.
C) primarily used for hunting large game like elephants.
D) accidental byproducts of using round cobbles for various purposes.

Question 9

Contemporary human foragers

A) take years to learn to forage and are usually adults before they are proficient hunters and food extractors.
B) collect the majority of their food as ripe fruit or otherwise easily accessed sources.
C) rely more on domesticated foods from their gardens than on wild foods.
D) have almost identical diets as chimpanzees, plus meat.

Question 10

Human foragers primarily include ________ foods in their diet.

A) raw and unprocessed
B) hunted
C) scavenged
D) extracted and hunted

Question 11

By becoming proficient at making Oldowan stone tools, scientists were able to demonstrate that

A) the original makers must have been modern humans.
B) the earliest stone tools were spheroids.
C) the original makers were probably right-handed most of the time.
D) the original makers were probably left-handed most of the time.

Question 12

Oldowan flakes

A) may have been made to make other tools that were then used to extract resources.
B) were primarily the waste product from making the "cores."
C) were used to dig up tubers.
D) were used to crack open bones to extract marrow.

Question 13

Among contemporary foragers,

A) men do most of the hunting and women do most of the gathering.
B) hunting and gathering are divided up by gender differently in each culture.
C) most hunting is done by a combination of men and women, while all gathering is done by women.
D) hunting is done in only a small number of known groups.

Question 14

In contemporary foraging societies,

A) there is a great deal of sexual dimorphism.
B) there is increased competition between males for females who are good at extractive foraging.
C) males make substantial investments in their offspring by sharing food.
D) females are solely responsible for the food needed to feed children.

Question 15

Among contemporary foragers,

A) food sharing and hunting are closely linked.
B) only vegetable matter is shared.
C) all types of food are shared.
D) almost no food is shared.

Question 16

Which of the following is the most likely description of the "first engineer" of stone tools, based on available data?

A) A member of the genus Homo
B) A member of the genus Australopithecus or an early member of the genus Homo
C) Australopithecus africanus
D) The earliest Homo sapiens

Question 17

Oldowan tools found in East Africa and dated to 2.5 mya could have been made by

A) Australopithecus afarensis.
B) Proconsul africanus.
C) Homo sapiens.
D) Homo neanderthalensis.

Question 18

Spheroids were most likely

A) used to process plant foods.
B) hammer stones that were worn from making tools.
C) hunting tools thrown at animals.
D) made most often by right-handed toolmakers.

Question 19

Contemporary foragers

A) have food sharing and a sexual division of labor.
B) have permanent settlements.
C) raise domestic livestock.
D) live in large groups of over 100 adults, most of the time.

Question 20

Oldowan tools are quite variable in size and shape. The best explanation for this pattern is thought to be

A) the function the tools were made for.
B) the particular method used to make them.
C) how toolmakers thought their tools should look.
D) The particular raw material used to make the tools.

Question 21

Contemporary foragers rely more heavily on ________ than any other primate.

A) fruit
B) agricultural products
C) meat
D) domestic animals

Question 22

A shift to extractive foraging and hunting would favor

A) larger brain size and greater intelligence.
B) a shortened juvenile period.
C) a shorter overall life span.
D) no change in brain size or life history.

Question 23

Meat eating may require food sharing because

A) sharing reduces the risks associated with hunting by averaging returns over time.
B) meat is unhealthy, so sharing spreads out the negative effects of consuming it.
C) hunting is a way of showing off.
D) food sharing reduces levels of cooperation, and hunting is a task best done alone.

Question 24

Imagine you are a female chimpanzee that likes to eat termites. This kind of food has to be

A) gathered.
B) collected.
C) hunted.
D) extracted.

Question 25

Taphonomists believe that the Olduvai bone and stone-tool sites were not deposited by moving water because

A) the bones do not contain characteristic water markings.
B) the sediments surrounding the bones do not contain water markings.
C) the sediments surrounding the bones are inverted, so that the top layers are oldest.
D) the sediments surrounding the bones and tools are not graded by size and weight.

Question 26

Compared with humans, after weaning chimpanzees are

A) more dependent upon their mothers for food.
B) apt to share food more extensively with each other.
C) more self-sufficient at food acquisition.
D) no different at food acquisition.

Question 27

Many food sources used by contemporary foragers are hard to acquire and therefore require

A) learned skills.
B) hammers and anvils.
C) cooking.
D) weapons.

Question 28

Since hunting takes a long time to learn and can be unreliable, it favored the evolution of

A) sexual division of labor.
B) juvenile development.
C) food sharing.
D) a stronger built-in hunting instinct.

Question 29

With food sharing comes increased paternal care. Therefore, what other characteristic do we expect to evolve with this pair of traits?

A) Increased sexual dimorphism.
B) Decreased sexual dimorphism.
C) Increased male-male competition.
D) Smaller brains.

Question 30

Which of the following is true of the contribution of calories from foraging among contemporary foraging groups?

A) Individuals of all ages contribute equally to the group's diet.
B) Men contribute a net surplus of food.
C) Women contribute a net surplus of food.
D) Children contribute nothing at all.

Question 31

Experimental analysis of bone tools from South Africa suggests that they were used to

A) dig up plant roots and tubers.
B) extract termites from their mounds.
C) dig up tree roots.
D) bury carcasses.

Question 32

Taphonomic analysis of stone-tool and bone accumulations shows that

A) moving water caused over half of the associations.
B) mass deaths of animals caused some of the associations.
C) hominins accounted for some of the associations.
D) these associations were preserved by volcanic eruptions.

Question 33

Evidence that hominins ate meat includes

A) stone-tool marks on prey bones.
B) hominin tooth marks on prey bones.
C) hominin fingerprints on prey bones.
D) the shape of hominin molars.

Question 34

Which the following statements is NOT true concerning human foraging groups?

A) Children are able to obtain enough food to feed themselves by the age of 10 years.
B) Women do not forage enough food to feed themselves until they are in their late 40s.
C) Men provide the majority of calories over time in all foraging groups.
D) Men frequently share the food they obtain with other group members.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is true concerning human foraging groups?

A) Changes in human life history pattern were likely driven by humans' emphasis on collected foods.
B) Humans have been shaped by natural selection to be born able to carry out most important foraging tasks.
C) Food sharing and division of labor lead to increased competition between males and increased sexual dimorphism.
D) Food sharing and division of labor lead to reduced competition between males and reduced sexual dimorphism.

Question 36

Meat is worth carrying around because

A) it tastes good.
B) it provides large amounts of nutrients in a small package, compared with vegetables.
C) it causes a sexual division of labor.
D) it attracts predators.

Question 37

Because humans rely on learned skills for many of the foods they eat, natural selection has favored

A) fast development.
B) an extended juvenile period.
C) strength.
D) hunting.

Question 38

The association of hominin tools and animal bones is more likely to mean that early hominins were responsible for these bone accumulations if

A) the bones and stone tools are found at the same archaeological site.
B) the bones have carnivore gnaw marks on them.
C) the bones have possible stone-tool cut marks on them.
D) the bones show evidence of having been moved by water.

Question 39

Dependence on meat may facilitate

A) food sharing.
B) a shorter juvenile period.
C) increased competition between males.
D) increased sexual dimorphism.

Question 40

Primates with a long juvenile period require a long life span because

A) they can reproduce faster.
B) they can experience menopause.
C) they are less subject to natural selection.
D) they need to make up for lost reproductive opportunities.

Question 41

Taphonomists believe that the Olduvai bone and stone-tool sites were not the result of the death of a large number of animals because

A) mass deaths usually involve members of a single species, but the Olduvai sites contain members of different species.
B) there is usually evidence of dehydration when mass deaths occur, but there is no such evidence at Olduvai sites.
C) mass deaths are very rare among modern animals on the savanna.
D) there is little mixing of bones of different species.

Question 42

The close association of hominin chipped stone tools and animal bones may not be because hominins used tools on these animals, but could be a result of

A) volcanic eruptions.
B) carnivore activity.
C) moving water.
D) sedimentation.

Question 43

Which of the following is the WEAKEST evidence in favor of early hominins obtaining meat by scavenging?

A) Most large mammalian carnivores practice some scavenging.
B) Scavenging requires cunning.
C) Scavenging is never dangerous.
D) Scavenging is considered practical when migratory herds are not present.

Question 44

Microscopic analysis of Oldowan chipped stone tools indicates that they were used for

A) wood working and butchery.
B) sewing and piercing hides.
C) digging in termite mounds.
D) ritual activities.

Question 45

The dense accumulations of stone tools and bones are thought to be

A) home bases of early hominins.
B) temporary camps of early hominins.
C) random natural accumulations.
D) processing sites where stone tools were cached.

Question 46

Large mammalian carnivores in Africa

A) never scavenge for meat.
B) scavenge only when they are sick or old.
C) often scavenge for meat rather than hunting.
D) almost always scavenge for meat and vary rarely hunt.

Question 47

What kinds of studies established that most of the accumulated bones found in Olduvai were NOT deposited by natural causes?

A) Taxonomic
B) Taphonomic
C) Palynological
D) Microscopic

Question 48

Which of the following is evidence that early hominins acquired meat by hunting?

A) Associations of tools and animal bones have been found.
B) Cut marks are common on limb bones.
C) Tooth marks are common on the shafts of limb bones.
D) The existence of home bases has not been demonstrated.

Question 49

The difference between a stone-tool mark and a tooth mark is that

A) stone-tool marks are crooked because hominins were not skilled at using stone tools.
B) tooth marks leave smooth grooves, and stone-tool marks leave many parallel grooves.
C) stone-tool marks contain stone flake residue.
D) tooth marks occur along the entire shaft of the bone but stone-tool marks occur only at the end of the bone.

Question 50

Taphonomic evidence suggests that hominins were

A) mainly hunters.
B) mainly scavengers.
C) sometimes hunters and sometimes scavengers.
D) neither hunters nor scavengers.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a line of evidence in favor of early hominins obtaining meat by scavenging?

A) Scavenging is evolutionarily conservative.
B) Cut marks can be found on vertebrae of prey.
C) Scavenging has never been found to be a practical form of meat acquisition.
D) Scavenging requires some advanced cognitive processing.

Question 52

At Olduvai sites,

A) both hominin and nonhominin carnivores were active, and nonhominin carnivores may have sometimes eaten hominins.
B) nonhominin carnivores were the main prey of hominins.
C) nonhominin carnivores were not active.
D) virtually all hominin activity involved scavenging; there was virtually no actual hunting.

Question 53

Taphonomy is the study of

A) how stone tools are made.
B) how to tell fossil plants from fossil animals.
C) tree rings.
D) what happens to an organism's remains from the time of death to the time the remains are found by scientists.

Question 54

The so-called home bases found at Olduvai are now interpreted as spots where

A) hominins cached their kills.
B) animals were butchered by hominins.
C) hominins fed on kills.
D) hominins practiced cannibalism.

Question 55

The Olduvai accumulation sites were probably

A) home bases, because many temporary shelters were found.
B) home bases, because fire hearths were found.
C) not home bases, because evidence of competition with other predators was found.
D) not home bases, because only short-term use fire hearths were found.

Question 56

Olduvai bone and stone-tool accumulations were most likely

A) home bases.
B) butchery sites.
C) natural accumulations due to water movement.
D) plant extraction sites.

Question 57

Which of the following statements is likely true regarding the Olduvai sites?

A) There is definitive evidence of "home bases" at Olduvai Gorge.
B) Paleoanthropologists are not able to distinguish between animal tooth marks and stone-tool marks on animal bones from Olduvai Gorge.
C) Taphonomic evidence suggests that the Oldowan hominids were sometimes hunters and sometimes scavengers.
D) There are no sites at Olduvai that are simply carnivore kill or cache sites.

Question 58

At modern kill sites there is

A) little conflict.
B) conflict, but only between members of different species.
C) conflict, but only between members of the same species.
D) conflict, both between members of different species and between members of the same species.

Question 59

At modern kill sites

A) hunters usually take meat from the limbs, and scavengers eat meat from the skull and vertebrae.
B) hunters usually take meat from the skull and vertebrae, and scavengers eat meat from the limbs.
C) hunters take almost all of the meat, and scavengers eat only cartilage and bone marrow.
D) hunters and scavengers share all parts of carcasses.

Question 60

Which of the following statements is true regarding the Olduvai sites?

A) The home bases found at Olduvai are now interpreted as spots where hominins ate their prey.
B) Paleoanthropologists cannot distinguish between animal tooth marks and stone-tool marks on animal bones found at Olduvai.
C) Taphonomic evidence suggests that the Oldowan hominins only acquired meat by scavenging.
D) Taphonomic evidence suggests that the Oldowan hominins were sometimes hunters and sometimes scavengers.

Question 61

How were the Oldowan tools manufactured? Why are they referred to as "Mode 1" tools? What does the manufacturing process tell us about the hominins who made them?

Question 62

Explain how food sharing reduces the risk associated with hunting in contemporary foragers.

Question 63

What is the evidence that early hominins ate meat?

Question 64

Were early hominins hunters or scavengers? Explain your answer.

Question 65

Why do anthropologists think hard-to-acquire food resources had such an effect on human evolution?

Question 66

Compare the sexual division of labor in hunting in contemporary foragers. What are the reasons for such a division of labor?

Question 67

Which of the following statements about early use of tools by hominins is NOT true?

A) Early hominin toolmakers were most likely right-handed.
B) Experimental analysis of fossil bone tools from australopithecine sites in South Africa suggests that they were used as digging sticks.
C) It is clear that the australopithecines were not capable of making stone tools.
D) Mode 1 refers to the method used to make Oldowan stone tools.

Question 68

Which of the following statements about food acquisition is NOT true?

A) Contemporary human foragers sometimes share meat.
B) Chimpanzees spend most of their time feeding on extracted and hunted foods.
C) Evidence suggests that the Oldowan hominins were neither hunters nor scavengers.
D) Juveniles in contemporary human foraging groups are responsible for finding their own food each day.

Question 69

Spheroids were most likely

A) bolas used in hunting.
B) hammers used for knapping.
C) flakes used to make digging sticks.
D) anvils used to crack nuts.

Question 70

Why is it difficult to determine which early hominin species may have invented the use of chipped stone tools?

Question 71

Did early hominins live in home bases? Explain your answer.

Question 72

What are the elements of Mode 1, or Oldowan, stone industries, and what do we know about their use?